The present invention pertains to joining dispatch call sessions and more particularly to a method for inviting participants to join a dispatch call.
Today most dispatch push-to-talk calls are forced type calls. That is, once the originator selects the person or persons to that he wishes to speak the selected or target user has the audio of his phone immediately blare out the words of the speaker. Since the target or receiving user has no control of the timing of the receipt of speech, the call is called a forced call. Target callers are forcibly joined into calls by the call processing server of the communication network, which automatically moves the target subscriber device to a bearer channel and connects them to audio or other media that is being sourced by the originating user. These are forced calls. Such forced calls often result in the audio or other media blaring out at the target subscriber's device at inopportune times. For example, a workman working on a project which requires his undivided attention would not wish his dispatch radio to suddenly blare while he was climbing a ladder or balancing on scaffolding.
Furthermore, in modern dispatch calls, each of the target units may not have the ergonomic requirements for receiving a forced dispatch call. That is, computers or certain radio telephones such as the typical cellular phone may not have a high audio capability, such as a speaker phone, and cannot accept forced dispatch calls.
Currently, dispatch phones do not provide the target user with the capability of rejecting forced calls.
Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to have methodology for providing an originating user with the ability to operate in a non-forced mode. Further, it would be highly desirable to provide target users of dispatch calls with the ability to accept or reject such forced or non-forced calls.